There Is a Higher Throne

Keith & Kristyn Getty are a Northern Irish musical duo best known for modern hymns and Christian worship music. They gained global recognition with the 2001 hymn In Christ Alone, co-written with Stuart Townend. Other popular hymns include Rejoice, His Mercy Is More, By Faith, He Will Hold Me Fast, and The Lord Is My Salvation. Their music combines Irish folk, classical, and contemporary worship styles, and they have recorded 26 albums.

The Gettys run Getty Music, a label and educational ministry supporting hymn writing and congregational worship. In 2020, they founded the Getty Music Foundation to provide theological and musical resources to churches and families. They have four children and split their time between Northern Ireland and Nashville.

Keith Getty, born in Lisburn in 1974, studied music in Durham and took advanced conducting lessons in London and at Tanglewood. Kristyn Getty (née Lennox), born in Belfast in 1980, studied English literature and ethnomusicology at Queen’s University and was active in local bands before meeting Keith.

Their albums include In Christ Alone (2006), Awaken the Dawn (2008), Joy – An Irish Christmas (2011), Hymns for the Christian Life (2012), Facing a Task Unfinished (2016), Confessio: Irish American Roots (2021), and Christ Our Hope in Life and Death (2023). They have performed internationally, including at Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Westminster Hall, and for figures such as George W. Bush, Mike Pence, and Theresa May.

The Gettys have won Dove Awards, received honorary doctorates, and Keith was appointed OBE in 2018 for contributions to hymn writing. Their hymns are known for theological depth, blending modern songwriting with classical and folk influences.

A notable controversy occurred in 2013 when the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song tried to modify In Christ Alone to soften its teaching on the wrath of God; the Gettys rejected the change, and the song was not included in that hymnal.